Training of specialists in the oil sector will be suspended in Mangystau district of Kazakhstan in 2015, the mayor of the district Alik Aidarbayev said.

"Today, we have a surplus of personnel in the oil industry," Aidarbayev said at a briefing in the office of the central communications. "They can not find a job. It is clear that the high salary attracts many people to get a job in the oil company. Starting from the next year, no more money will be allocated for training of oil workers. That is, our expenditures will amount to zero tenge."He said that the released funds will be distributed and used for the training of specialists which are currently in particular demand, Kazinform refers to trend.az."Oil and gas is the foundation, and therefore professionals in this industry should be trained," said Aidarbayev. "But we must move from the amount on to the quality now. We must prepare smaller quantity of oil workers, only as much as needed for the oil industry. No more than that. And, of course, we should work over the quality of training of these professionals. Unfortunately, some of our graduates can not pass the criteria to work in the new modern conditions."

Reaching the climax of a personal attack on Russia's Central Bank Chairwoman Elvira Nabiullina in a debate in the State Duma on Monday, Communist deputy Vyacheslav Tetyokin did not hold back. Nabiullina, he said, was "the most expensive woman in the history of our country."

Tetyokin was incensed by the more than $70 billion of foreign currency reserves the Central Bank has burned through defending the ruble this year as it has been battered by Western sanctions on Moscow and a steadily sliding oil price.

In a much-anticipated monetary policy switch, the Central Bank announced Monday that it was ceasing interventions on currency market except in the case of threats to financial stability: meaning the ruble was now fully free-floating. Criticism of 51-year-old Nabiullina, an economist born near the Ural mountains with a reported passion for French poetry, has stepped up in recent weeks as the Russian currency's dramatic volatility prompts uncomfortable recollections of the country's traumatic 1998 default. The ruble has weakened over 30 percent against the U.S. dollar since the beginning of the year and, in a crash that caused U.S. dollar supplies to dry up at retail banks, plunged 10 percent in 48 hours to a record low of 48.6 versus the greenback on Nov. 7.

The head of Gazprom Media said Friday that board members of the opposition-minded radio station Ekho Moskvy would meet next week to discuss its fate, sparking concern on Russia's blogosphere that the meeting could signal a crackdown.

Mikhail Lesin, head of Gazprom Media, which owns a majority share in the radio station, listed three items on the agenda for the Nov. 21 meeting in a letter sent to members of the board of directors: Editor-in-chief — and member of the board — Alexei Venediktov, the radio station's editorial team and the format of its coverage, a report on the Ekho Moskvy website said.

No further details were provided. The news was being actively discussed on social networks Friday, with users expressing concern that the meeting could result in Venediktov's dismissal or resignation.

Rotterdam is the best city in Europe to live in. That takes the British think tank Academy of Urbanism, which Maasstad Friday ordered a Urbanism Award. Rotterdam had the Danish city of Aarhus and the Italian Torino behind him.

"The city has a young, open, tolerant community architecteur and innovative urban design and new business models embraces. The strategy is to attract families and businesses to the city center with houses, excellent transport links and a lively public space, "explains Steven Bee Academy of the charm of Rotterdam. He praises the "strong leadership of Mayor Ahmed Abou Taleb.

The other Urbanism Awards went to Britain: the best place, the best neighborhood, the best street and the best place.